Training apparatus

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a training apparatus, which comprises a seat unit  30  including a seat  35  allowing a user M to sit thereon, a foot plate  42  adapted to allow the user M sitting on the seat  35  to keep his/her feet bottoms in contact therewith, a displacement mechanism unit  38  adapted to apply to the user M a load against a straining force generated when the user M sitting on the seat  35  while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate  42  strains his/her legs, and a base board  20  mounting thereon the above components. The foot plate  42  is adapted to be changed in posture between a horizontal posture T 1  where it protrudes approximately horizontally and outwardly from a pair of footrest frames  41  mounted on the base board  20 , and a vertical posture T 2  where it protrudes approximately vertically and upward from the footrest frames  41  at approximately the same height level as a that of the seat  35 . The present invention can provide a training apparatus capable of allowing a user to readily sit on the seat  35  in the same manner as that for sitting on a chair, and friendly to elderly persons.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a training apparatus for exercising the body, such as legs and lumbar, of a human user, and more particularly to a training apparatus suitable for an elderly person and a patient who undergoes rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to collectively as “elderly user”).

2. Description of the Related Art

Heretofore, there has been known a training apparatus (exercise apparatus) as discloses in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-194985 (“Patent Publication 1”).

This training apparatus comprises a seat for allowing a user to sit thereon, a foot-push member adapted to be pushed by a foot or feet of the user sitting on the seat, and loading means operable, when the seat is displaced based on a reaction force from the foot-push member pushed by the user's feet, to impose a load on the seat. The user sitting on the seat can repeatedly perform bending/stretching of his/her leg or legs against the load of the loading means to exercise his/her body.

The above training apparatus has a given 3-dimensional shape, and includes a frame having a height dimension slightly greater than a standard body height of humans. The seat, the foot-push member and other components are attached to the frame, and an entrance space is formed between the seat and the foot-push member to allow a user to enter inside the frame and get out of the frame.

Thus, after entering inside the frame through the space, a user will sit on the seat and place his/her feet on the foot-push member.

Even though the entrance space for allowing a user to enter inside the frame is ensured in the training apparatus disclosed in the Patent Publication 1, the user is required to step over a lower sill of the frame before getting into the entrance space, and, after entering inside the frame and sitting on the seat, move his/her feet upwardly to bring the feet bottoms into contact with the foot-press member. While these movements are not so arduous for a normal healthy person, an elderly user is likely to have difficulty in carrying out such movements. In this respect, the training apparatus disclosed in the Patent Publication 1 is not exactly friendly to elderly users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a user-friendly training apparatus capable of creating an obstacle-free space in front of a seat when a user moves toward the seat to sit thereon, to allow the user to readily sit on the seat without additional movements so as to achieve enhanced usability for not only normal healthy persons but also elderly persons and persons with physical handicaps. It is another object of the present invention to provide a training apparatus designed to prevent excessive load from being imposed on a body of a user.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a training apparatus comprises:

a seat arranged at a given height position;

a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance;

a displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other;

a load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween; and

a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said foot plate between an inactive posture where said foot plate is in a posture such that a user's feet can be placed thereupon from the above and an active posture where the foot plate is in an upright posture so that a user can initiate an exercise with this training apparatus.

In the above training apparatus of the present invention, the foot plate can be changed between the active posture relative to the seat, and the inactive posture where the foot plate is disposed substantially at a lower extremity below the frontward position of the seat. Specifically, before a user sits on the seat, the foot plate is set in the inactive posture at the lower extremity by the displacement mechanism. Thus, when the user moves toward the seat, an obstacle-free space is created in front of the seat to allow the user to significantly easily sit on the seat using the foot plate as a step ladder simply by the same movement as that for sitting on a commonly-used chair. This allows not only a normal healthy user but also an elderly user to sit on the seat in a significantly easy manner. In addition, an obstacle-free space created in front of the seat during sitting allows a user using a wheelchair to roll the wheelchair close to the front of the training apparatus and then readily move from the wheelchair directly to the seat. When a care-giver escorts the user, the burden of the care-giver will be significantly reduced.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description along with the accompanied drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a training apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are assembly perspective views of the training apparatus in FIG. 1, respectively, viewed from the right front side thereof, and viewed from the left rear side thereof, wherein a foot plate is set in a vertical posture, and an outer cover is detached from the training apparatus.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are assembly perspective views of the training apparatus in FIG. 1, which has the outer cover attached thereto, wherein: FIG. 3A shows a state after the foot plate is set in a horizontal posture (hereinafter also referred to as “inactive posture”) and a seat is set at a home position; FIG. 3B shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at a front position; and FIG. 3C shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at a rear position.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the training apparatus, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at the home position, and FIG. 4B shows the state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at the rear position.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory fragmentary perspective views showing one example of a reclining-angle adjustment mechanism of the training apparatus, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state after a reclining posture of a backrest is locked by the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism, and FIG. 5B shows a state after the locked state of the reclining posture of the backrest is released by a given action of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory block diagram showing an operational control of the training apparatus based on a control unit.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing one example of a layout of an operation panel.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an initial stage in one example of a control process of the training apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an intermediate stage in the example of the control process of the training apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a last stage in the example of the control process of the training apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B, a training apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a training apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIGS. 3A to 3C are assembly perspective views of the training apparatus in FIG. 1.

Specifically, FIGS. 2A and 2B show a state after a foot plate is set in a vertical posture (also referred to as “an active posture”), and an outer cover is detached from the training apparatus, wherein FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the training apparatus, when viewed from the right front side thereof, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the training apparatus, when viewed from the left rear side thereof. FIG. 3A shows a state after the foot plate is set in a horizontal posture (also referred to as “an inactive posture”), and a seat is set at a home position which is a frontmost position for allowing a user to get on/off the seat. FIG. 3B shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture, and the seat is set at a front position which is a start position of training, and FIG. 3C shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at a rear position which is located at a rear end of the training apparatus.

It should be noted that the term “horizontal” used to describe the posture of the foot plate in the non-active posture includes an upwardly or downwardly varied angle of inclination thereof with respect to an exact horizon (0 degree) as long as the user's foot can be placed on the foot plate in a reasonably comfortable manner while the user is in an ordinary sitting posture. Similarly, the term “vertical” used to describe the posture of the foot plate in the active posture includes a reasonable variation of the angle with respect to the exact vertical (90 degrees) as long as the user's foot can be reasonably placed against the foot plate during the exercise.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the training apparatus, wherein FIG. 4A shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at the home position, and FIG. 4B shows the state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at the rear position.

In FIGS. 1 to 4B, the X-X direction will be referred to as “rightward/leftward direction (width or lateral direction)”, and the Y-Y direction will be referred to as “frontward/rearward direction (longitudinal direction)”. More specifically, the −X direction will be referred to as “leftward”, and the +X direction will be referred to as “rightward”. Further, the −Y direction will be referred to as “frontward”, and the +Y direction will be referred to as “rearward”.

The training apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is deigned to allow a user sitting on a seat to bend and stretch his/her legs against a given exercise load so as to perform training of legs and lumber. As shown in FIG. 1, the training apparatus 10 comprises: a seat unit 30 adapted to allow a user M (see FIGS. 3 and 4) to sit thereon; a footrest mechanism 40 adapted to change a posture of an after-mentioned foot plate 42 for allowing the user M who sits on the seat unit 30 to place his/her feet thereon; an input/output unit 50 which includes an after-mentioned panel board 54 adapted to allow an operator, such as the user M, to perform an input/output operation for after-mentioned actions of the seat unit 30 and the footrest mechanism 54; and a control unit 60 adapted to control actions of the seat unit 30 and the footrest mechanism 54. These components are mounted on a base board 20 having a flat plate shape.

The base board 20 is formed in a trapezoid shape in top plan view. Specifically, the base board 20 has a rear portion with a width which gradually decreases in a rearward direction, and a front portion with an approximately square shape, so that a contour of the base board 20 conforms to those of the seat unit 30 and the footrest mechanism 40 which are supported by the base board 20. The base board 20 is prepared by combining a plurality of bar members arranged longitudinally and laterally and along peripheral edges to form a flat structure and then covering a top surface of the structure with a metal plate. Thus, the base board 20 is lightweight yet structurally strong.

After the seat unit 30, the footrest mechanism 40, the input/output unit 50 and the control unit 60 are mounted on the base board 20, an outer cover 21 is attached to the base board 20 to provide an aesthetic appearance to the training apparatus 10 as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. The outer cover 21 includes a pair of rear side covers 22 for covering right and left sides of the seat unit 30 mounted on the rear portion of the base board 20, a pair of front side covers 23 for covering right and left sides of the footrest mechanism 40 mounted on the front portion of the base board 20, and a front center cover 24 for covering a central portion of the footrest mechanism 40.

Each of the rear side covers 22, the front side covers 23 and the front center cover 24 is attached to the base board in a detachable manner individually to facilitate a maintenance operation for the training apparatus 10.

The seat unit 30 comprises: a seat frame 31 fixed to a laterally-central region of the base board 20 to extend from a position on a slightly rearward side relative to a front end toward a rear end of the base board 20; a guide rail 32 laid on a top surface of the seat frame 31 to extend longitudinally; a pair of sliders 33 adapted to be reciprocally moved in frontward/rearward direction while being guided by the guide rail 32; a seat support board 34 supported by the pair of sliders 33; a seat 35 mounted on a top surface of the seat support board 34; a backrest 36 mounted on the top surface of the seat support board 34; a reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 adapted to adjust a reclining angle of the backrest 36; and a displacement mechanism unit 38 adapted to reciprocally move the seat 35 and the backrest 36 in the frontward/rearward direction through the sliders 33 and the seat support board 34, and allow the seat 35 to be reciprocally displaced while applying a load against straining for bending/stretching of the legs of the user M sitting on the seat 35.

The seat frame 31 includes four columns 311 each fixed to the top surface of the base board 20 to extend upward, and a top plate 312 formed to have a longitudinally-long rectangular shaped and disposed to bridge between upper ends of the four columns 311. Each of the columns 311 has a height dimension slightly less than a standard low-the-knee dimension of humans, so that the seat 35 supported by the seat frame 31 through the guide rail 32, the sliders 33 and the seat support board 34 has a height dimension suitable for sitting.

The guide rail 32 is provided as a means to guide frontward/rearward movements of the seat support board 34 through the pair of front and rear sliders 33, and fixed to a laterally-central region of the top plate 312 of the seat frame 31 to extend longitudinally. The guide rail 32 is formed of a I-section steel having an I shape in end view. Specifically, the guide rail 32 has a pair of upper and lower long flat plates 321 extending longitudinally, and a long vertical plate 32 extending longitudinally and bridging between respective laterally-central regions of the pair of the long flat plates 321. A pair of right and left guide grooves 323 extending longitudinally are defined between the pair of the long flat plates 321.

The slider 33 is formed in a reverse U shape in end view, which has opposed sides located on both sides of the upper long flat plate 321 of the guide rail 32, and each formed as a slide protrusion 331 adapted to be fitted into the respective guide grooves 323. These slide protrusions 331 are fitted into the respective guide grooves 323 in a slidable manner to allow the slider 33 to be moved in the frontward/rearward direction in a latched state while being guided by the guide rail 32.

The seat support board 34 is formed in a rectangular shape in top plan view, which has a lateral dimension fairly greater than a lateral dimension of the seat frame 31, and a longitudinal dimension fairly less than a longitudinal dimension of the seat frame 31. The seat support board 34 has a laterally-central region of a front end and a longitudinally-central region, which are fixed, respectively, to the front and rear sliders 33 by setscrews or the like. Thus, the seat support board 34 can be moved in the frontward/rearward direction while being guided by the guide rail 33 through the sliders 33.

A backrest support frame 341 is disposed on the seat support board 34 at a position on a slightly rearward side relative to a longitudinal center of the seat support board 34, to extend upward so as to support the backrest 36. The backrest support frame 341 is attached to a pair of right and left brackets 344 extending upward from the seat support board 34, in a rotatable manner about a first shaft 345, and associated with the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 in such a manner that a reclining angle thereof is adjusted according to an action of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37. The backrest 36 can be set at a desired inclination by adjusting a reclining angle of the backrest support frame 341. The seat 35 is formed in an approximately square shape in top plan view, and fixed onto the seat support board 34 to cover over approximately the entire front half region of the top surface thereof. The seat 35 is prepared by covering a pad member 351 as a flexible core made of an expandable synthetic resin with a trim 352 as a skin. This provides comfortable sitting.

As described in detail later, during a period where a user gets on/off the seat 35, the seat 35 (the term “seat 35” includes the seat support board 34 in a mechanical aspect; the following description will be made using the term “seat 35” as a term representing a movable part of the seat unit 30 unless otherwise distinctively described) is locked in an immovable state to prevent the seat 35 from being displaced in the frontward/rearward direction. This lock operation is achieved by an after-mentioned sliding motor (load-applying device, electrical load generator) 381 (employing a servomotor). Specifically, a servomotor is employed as the sliding motor 381, and a speed of the servomotor is set at zero in a speed control mode to put the motor into an immovable state having no motor rotation so as to obtain the above locked state.

The backrest 36 is formed to have a vertically-long dimension in conformity to a standard back dimension of humans, and fixed onto a front surface of the backrest support frame 341. As with the seat 35, the backrest 36 is prepared by covering a pad member 361 as a flexible core made of an expandable synthetic resin with a trim 362 as a skin. This makes it possible to allow the user M sitting on the seat 35 to comfortably lean the back against the backrest 36.

A pair of right and left grip arms 342 are fixed to the backrest support frame 341 in such a manner as to protrude frontwardly from right and left sides of the backrest support frame 341. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, the user M sitting on the seat 35 and leaning the back against the backrest 36 can grip the grip arms 342 by his/her right and left hands to exert his/her strength during exercise.

Further, a pair of right and left handrails 343 prepared by subjecting a pipe to a bending process are fixed onto a front region of the seat support board 34. The pair of handrails 343 are arranged on respective right and left sides of the seat 35 in the front region of the seat support board 34, to allow the user M to readily get on/off the seat 35 while gripping the handrails 343.

The backrest 36 is designed such that a reclining angle thereof can be adjusted according to an operation of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 according to the physique or preference of the user M. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory fragmentary partially cutaway perspective views showing one example of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 of the training apparatus 10. FIG. 5A shows a state after a reclining posture of the backrest 36 is locked by the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37, and FIG. 5B shows a state after the locked state of the reclining posture of the backrest 36 is released by a given action of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37. In FIG. 5, the X and Y directions are defined in the same manner as those in FIG. 1 [X: rightward/leftward or lateral direction (−X: leftward, +X: rightward), Y: frontward/rearward or longitudinal direction (−Y: frontward, +Y: rearward)]

As shown in FIG. 5, the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 comprises an operation shaft 371 disposed along a right side edge of the seat support board 34 to extend longitudinally, a manual operation lever 372 extending upward from a front portion of the operation shaft 371, a link arm 373 extending upward from an rear portion of the operation shaft 371, a lock pin member 374 interposed between an upper end of the link arm 373 and the backrest support frame 341, and a positioning plate 375 protruding rearward from a right side edge of the backrest support frame 341 in opposed relation to a left end face of the lock pin member 374.

The right side edge of the seat support board 34 has a cutout concave portion 346 formed to have an angular C shape in top plan view to allow the operation shaft 371 to be attached thereto, and the operation shaft 371 is attached to penetrate front and rear side walls of the cutout concave portion 346 in a rotatable manner about an axis thereof. The manual operation lever 372 is fixed to the front portion of the operation shaft 371 located within cutout concave portion 346, and the link arm 373 is fixed to the rear portion of the operation shaft 371 located within cutout concave portion 346. Thus, when the manual operation lever 372 is manually rotated about the operation shaft 371, the link arm 373 will be coaxially rotated together with the manual operation lever 372. The link arm 373 has an upper portion formed with an elongate hole 3731 extending vertically.

The lock pin member 374 comprises a cylindrical-shaped cylinder 3741, a lock pin 3742 slidably inserted through the cylinder 3741, and a coil spring 3745 housed in the cylinder 3741 to give a biasing force to the lock pin 3742 so as to urge the lock pin 3742 leftward, i.e., toward the positioning plate 375. The cylinder 3741 is integrally supported by a pair of right and left support plates 347 extending upward from the seat support board 34.

The lock pin 3742 has a length greater than that of the cylinder 3741, and consists of a right small-diameter portion 3743 and a large-diameter portion 3744 integrally formed with the small-diameter portion 3743 to extend leftwardly from a left end of the small-diameter portion 3743 in a concentric manner. The coil spring 3745 is fitted on the small-diameter portion 3743 in a compressed state within the cylinder 3741 to allow the large-diameter portion 3744 having a left end protruding outside from the cylinder 3741 to be biased toward the positioning plate 375.

The small-diameter portion 3743 of the lock pin 3742 protrudes rightwardly from a right end wall of the cylinder 3741, and connected to the link arm 373 through a link shaft 376 fixed at a right end of the small-diameter portion 3743 to extend longitudinally. The link shaft 376 is inserted into the vertically-extending elongate hole 3731 formed in the link arm 373. Thus, reciprocal rotations of the link arm 372 about the operation shaft 371 can be adequately converted to lateral linear movements of the lock pin 3742.

The positioning plate 375 protruding rearwardly from the right edge of the backrest support frame 341 is formed in an arc shape which has a curvature center defined by an axis of the first shaft 345, and a curvature radius set so as to be in opposed relation to the lock pin 3742. The positioning plate 375 is formed with a plurality of lock holes 3751 circumferentially arranged along a circle which has a curvature center defined by the axis of the first shaft 345 and a given curvature radius allowing each of the lock holes to be located opposed to the lock pin 3742. Each of the lock holes 3751 has a hole diameter slightly greater than an outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin 3742.

In the above reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37, as shown in FIG. 5A, in a state after the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin 3742 is inserted into either one of the lock holes 3751 of the lock plate 375, a rotation of the positioning plate about the first shaft 345 is inhibited by the lock pin 3742, and thereby the reclining posture of the backrest is locked.

In this locked state, when the manual operation lever 372 is manually rotated clockwise about the operation shaft 371, the link lever 372 is integrally rotated clockwise about the operation shaft 371, and thereby the lock pin 3742 is moved against the biasing force of the coil spring 3745 rightwardly through the link shaft 376. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5B, the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin 3742 is pulled out of the lock holes 3751 of the lock plate 375, and thereby the locked state of the reclining posture of the backrest 36 is released.

After release of the locked state of the backrest 36, the backrest 36 is manually rotated about the first shaft 345, and the manual operation lever 372 is released from the manual operation at a desired reclining angle. Thus, the lock pin 3742 is moved leftwardly by the biasing force of the coil spring 3745 to insert the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin 3742 into a new one of the lock holes 3751 of the positioning plate 375, and thereby a new reclining posture of the backrest 36 is locked.

Returning to FIG. 1, the displacement mechanism unit 38 will be more specifically described below. The displacement mechanism unit 38 comprises: the sliding motor (load-applying device) 381 installed on the base board 20 within the seat frame 31 to allow a drive shaft 3811 thereof to extend rightwardly; a first drive sprocket 382 concentrically fitted on the drive shaft 3811 of the sliding motor 381 in a co-rotatable manner; a first driven sprocket 383 disposed on a rearward side of and in opposed relation to the first drive sprocket 382; a first chain 384 wound around between the first driven sprocket 383 and the first drive sprocket 382 in a tensioned manner; a second shaft 385 adapted to be coaxially rotated together with the first driven sprocket 383 and disposed to extend laterally across the seat frame 31; a left rear sprocket 386 concentrically fitted on a left end of the second shaft 385 in a co-rotatable manner; a left front sprocket 387 disposed on the left side of the seat frame 31 and on a frontward side of and in opposed relation to the left rear sprocket 386; and a board-moving chain 388 wound around between the left front sprocket 387 and the left rear sprocket 386 in a tensioned manner and adapted to move the seat support board 34 in the frontward/rearward direction.

In this embodiment, a servomotor capable of reliably controlling a driving amount is used as the sliding motor 381.

The first driven sprocket 383 has an outer diameter greater than that of the first drive sprocket 382 to generate a larger torque than that of the first drive sprocket 382.

A part of the board-moving chain 388 is fixed onto a back surface of the seat support board 34 supported by the pair of sliders 33, so that the seat support board 34 can be reciprocally moved in the frontward/rearward direction according to reciprocal circulations of the board-moving chain 388 based on a reciprocal driving action of the sliding motor 381.

In this embodiment, the sliding motor 381 is driven not only to slidingly move the seat 35 but also to apply a given load to the user M sitting on the seat 35 so as to achieve an intended purpose as the displacement mechanism unit 38.

Specifically, in a state as shown in FIG. 3C, i.e., when the user M sitting on the seat 35 set at the rear position leans the back against the backrest 36, and stretches the legs while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture as described later, the sliding motor 381 is driven to rotate the drive shaft 3811 counterclockwise about the axis thereof.

According to this driving action of the sliding motor 381, the seat support board 34 receives a frontward force (force acting in the frontward direction) through the first drive sprocket 382, the first chain 384, the first driven sprocket 383, the second shaft 385, the left rear sprocket 386 and the board-moving chain 388, and this force acts as a load against a stretching force of the user M. The user M bends and stretches the legs against this load to perform training of legs and lumber.

Referring to FIG. 1, the footrest mechanism 40 will be more specifically described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the footrest mechanism 40 comprises a pair of plate-shaped footrest frames 41 fixed onto right and left edge regions of a front end of the base board 20 to extend upward, a foot plate 42 attached between the pair of footrest frames 41 and adapted to be changed in posture between a horizontal posture T1 (see FIG. 3A: also referred to as an inactive posture) and a vertical posture T2 (see FIGS. 2, 3B, 3C, 4A and 4B: also referred to as an active posture), and a posture change mechanism 43 adapted to change the posture of the foot plate 42. When the foot plate 42 is set in the horizontal posture T1, the foot plate 42 is set at a step-on/off position (as set forth in the appended claims) allowing the user M to step thereon/thereoff.

Each of the pair of footrest frame 41 includes a vertically-long frame 411 having an upper edge formed in an arc shape, and a square-shaped frame 412 having an approximately square shape in side view and extending rearward from a lower region of a rear edge of the vertically-long frame 411. The footrest frame 41 has a lower end fixed to the base board 20 by a setscrew or the like through a given angled member.

The foot plate 42 is formed to allow the user M sitting on the seat 35 to place the feet thereon. In this embodiment, the foot plate 42 is formed in a rectangular shape in top plan view. The foot plate 42 is formed with a pair of longitudinally-extending reinforcing edge portions 42 protruding upward from right and left edges thereof. Each of the reinforcing edge portions 42 is formed with a connection portion 422 protruding upward from a rear end thereof, and a vertically-extending plate support arm (arm) 423 is fixed to the connection portion 422 by a setscrew or the like.

A pair of right and left support shafts 424 are fixed to respective upper ends of the plate support arms 423 to protrude outwardly in opposite directions. Correspondingly, each of the right and left footrest frames 41 has an upper portion formed with a support hole 413 for receiving a corresponding one of the support shafts 424 in a slidable manner. Each of the support shafts 424 is inserted into the corresponding support holes 413, so that the foot plate 42 can be rotated about the support shaft 424 by about 90 degrees between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture T2.

The posture change mechanism 43 comprises a lifting motor 44 installed in the square frame 412 of the footrest frame 41 in a horizontal posture, and a driving-force transfer mechanism (rotation mechanism) 45 adapted to transfer a driving force of the lifting motor 44 to the support shafts 424 of the foot plate 42.

The driving-force transfer mechanism 45 includes: a second drive sprocket 451 concentrically fitted on a drive shaft 441 of the lifting motor 44 in a co-rotatable manner; a second driven sprocket 452 disposed below and in opposed relation to the second drive sprocket 451, a second chain 453 wound around between the second drive sprocket 451 and the second driven sprocket 452 in a tensioned manner; a longitudinally-extending third shaft 454 concentrically supporting the second driven sprocket 452 in a co-rotatable manner; a worm 455 concentrically fitted on the third shaft 454 in a co-rotatable manner; a fourth shaft 456 penetratingly installed between the pair of footrest frames 41; a worm wheel 457 concentrically fitted on a right end of the fourth shaft 456 penetrating through the right footrest frame 41, in a co-rotatable manner, and engaged with the worm 455; a pair of right and left third driven sprockets 458 concentrically fitted on right and left ends of the fourth shaft 456 in a co-rotatable manner; a pair of right and left fourth driven sprockets 459 disposed above and in opposed relation to the corresponding third driven sprockets 458 and concentrically fitted on the corresponding support shafts 424 of the foot plate 42 in a co-rotatable manner; and a pair of right and left third chains 4591 wound around between the third and fourth driven sprocket 458, 459 in a tensioned manner.

In this embodiment the worm 455 is formed in a so-called “right-hand thread” where a spiral thread extends right-handed, i.e., clockwise.

In the above driving-force transfer mechanism 45, when the drive shaft 441 is drivingly rotated counterclockwise (hereinafter referred to as “normal rotation or normal driving”) by a driving action of the lifting motor 44 in a state after the foot plate 42 is set in the horizontal posture T1 (see FIG. 3A), the driving normal rotation of the drive shaft 441 is transferred to the third shaft 454 through the second drive sprocket 451, the second chain 453 and the second driven sprocket 452, and therefore the worm 455 is co-rotated counterclockwise (normally rotated) about the third shaft 454.

When the worm 455 with right-handed spiral thread is normally rotated, the worm wheel 457 engaged with the worm 455 is co-rotated clockwise about the fourth shaft 456. Thus, the right and left third driven sprockets 458 are rotated clockwise together with the fourth shaft 456, and the respective rotations of the left third driven sprockets 458 are transferred to the corresponding fourth driven sprockets 459 through the corresponding third chains 4591. In this manner, the fourth driven sprockets 459 are coaxially rotated clockwise together with the corresponding support shafts 424.

When the support shafts 424 are rotated clockwise, the foot plate 42 set in the horizontal posture T1 is rotated about the support shafts 424 through the plate support arms 424, and will be changed to the vertical posture T2.

Then, when the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2 is returned to the original horizontal posture T1, the driving-force mechanism 45 may be reversely driven. In this case, the driving-force mechanism 45 acts in a reverse manner to that described above to rotate the support shafts 424 counterclockwise about axes thereof, and therefore the foot plate in the vertical posture T2 will be returned to the original horizontal posture T1.

In the present invention, the training apparatus is designed such that, before the user M sits on the seat 35, the foot plate 42 is pre-set in the horizontal posture T1, as shown in FIG. 3A. In the horizontal posture T1, an obstacle-free space is created in front of the seat 35 during sitting, to allow the user M to readily sit on the seat 35 simply by the same movement as that for sitting on a chair.

That is, after stepping on the foot plate without stepping over any frame or member, the user M can twist his/her body at the waist and quickly sit on the seat 35 while gripping the handrails 343 if necessary. As described in detail later, the training apparatus according to this embodiment is designed to have a passive exercise mode for allowing a user to passively perform bending/stretching of his/her legs by an external force for the purpose of rehabilitation exercise or the like, instead of performing exercise against a load on user's own will. Such an exercise mode may be utilized for a user using a wheelchair. In this case, the obstacle-free space toward the seat allows the user to roll the wheelchair close to the seat and readily sit on the seat.

As above, the user M, even an elderly user, can readily use the training apparatus 10 to perform training.

The input/output unit 50 comprises a L-shaped support pole 51 having a lower portion bent at a right angle, and an input/output device 52 supported by an upper portion of the support pole 51. The support pole 51 has a height dimension allowing the input/output device 52 to be located at a position slightly lower that an eye line of the user M sitting on the seat 35. The lower portion of the support pole 51 bent at a right angle is fixed onto a right front region of the base board 20 through a given fixing bracket 511.

The input/output device 52 comprises a box-shaped casing 53, and a panel board 54 formed on the side of a front surface the casing 53. The casing 53 is fixed to the upper portion of the support pole 51 through a back surface thereof, in an inclined posture allowing the front surface thereof to face the face of the user M sitting on the seat 35.

The panel board 54 has an upper half region provided with a display device 541 composed of LCD (liquid crystal display) or the like to display various information or guidance for key operations, and a lower half region provided with various operation keys for inputting various types of numerical data. In use of the training apparatus 10, these operation key are manually pressed to input various conditions for training. Further, input information and information about various training results obtained by performing training are output onto a screen of the display device 541. Further, for example, when a user wants to set a load and/or a training time by his/her self without depending on setting performed by the apparatus during training, a guidance for a required key operation will be displayed.

The control unit 60 is a so-called microcomputer, which is operable, when the user M performs training using the training apparatus 10, to control an operation of the training apparatus 10 based on input information from the panel board 54. The control unit 60 is installed in an appropriate position (see FIG. 2B) on the base board 20. With reference to FIG. 6, a control based on the control unit 60 will be described below.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory block diagram showing an operational control of the training apparatus 10 based on the control unit 60. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 60 fundamentally comprises a CPU (central processing unit) 61 as a processing unit, a ROM (read-only memory) 62 associated with the CPU 61 and a RAM (random access memory) 63 associated with the CPU 61. The ROM 62 stores a program for operating the CPU 61 and unchanged basic data, and the R, and the RAM 62 temporarily stores data, such as a calculation result of the CPU 61 and temporary data generated during determination processing.

The CPU 61 includes an initial operation setting section 611, a load level setting section 612, a training time setting section 613, a training time determination section 614, and a control signal output section 615.

The initial operation setting section 611 carries out a function of setting an initial operation of the training apparatus 10 based on input information from a manual operation section 542.

The load level setting section 612 carries out a function of setting a level of training based on input information from the manual operation section 542.

The training time setting section 613 carries out a function of setting a training time based on input information from the manual operation section 542.

The training time determination section 614 carries out a function of determining whether an elapsed time after the user M starts exercise exceeds a setup time based on the training time setting section 613

The control signal output section 615 carries out a function of, based on a setting signal or a determination signal from the initial operation setting section 611, the load level setting section 612, the training time setting section 613 and the training time determination section 614, outputting a control signal to allow the display device 541 to display a given output, if necessary, and outputting a control signal to either one or both of the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44.

The panel board 54 of the input/output unit 50 is provided with various keys and switches for inputting necessary information to the CPU 61. FIG. 7 is a front view showing one example of a layout of the panel board 45. As shown in FIG. 7, the panel board 54 is sectionalized into upper and lower regions. The display device 541 is arranged in the upper region, and the manual operation section 542 for performing various manual input operations is arranged in the lower region, as described above.

As shown in FIG. 7, the manual operation section 542 includes a power switch 543 arranged at a right upper position, and ten numeric keys 544 arranged in a central region. A mode key 5442, a body weight key 5443, a body height key 5444, an age key 5446, a sexuality key and a condition setting key 545, are arranged below the numeric keys 544. Further, a lock release key 5420 is arranged above the condition selection key 545 to input an instruction for starting training, and an end key 5424 is arranged on a lateral side of the lock release key 5420 to input information about end of training.

A decimal-point key is arranged on a right side of “0” to display a decimal point to be used in an operation of adjusting/selecting a numerical value using the numeric keys 544. Specifically, after a numerical value is adjusted/selected using the numeric keys 544 and the decimal-point key, a set key 5441 is pressed to finally set or input an adjusted/selected numeral value.

Each of the mode key 5442, the body weight key 5443, the body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the condition setting key 545 is used for defining a category or type of a numeral value adjusted/selected using the numeric keys 544 and the decimal-point key. Specifically, in an operation of inputting body weight data, the body weight key is firstly pressed, and then a specific value of body weight is adjusted/selected by pressing the numeric keys 544. Then, the set key 5441 is pressed to finally set or input the adjusted/selected numerical value to the control unit 60 as body weight data. The remaining keys are operated in the same manner.

The mode key 5442 is used in an operation of inputting a mode about an interconnected operation between the seat 35 and the foot plate 42. In this embodiment, as such a mode, 1st to 3rd modes are employed. The user M can select either one of the 1 st to 3d modes by pressing the mode key 5442 and pressing one of the numeric keys 544 corresponding to a desired one of the modes. For example, in an operation of selecting the 2nd mode, the mode key 5442 is pressed, and then “2” in the numeric keys 544 is pressed. If there is no input from the numeric keys 544 after a given time (e.g. 5 seconds) from pressing of the mode key 5442, the 1 st mode will be automatically selected. In either mode, an initial position of the seat 35 is set at a home position (frontmost position) U0 (see FIG. 3A).

In this home position U0, the seat 35 is immovably locked by the sliding motor 381. This lock operation of the sliding motor 38 is performed in response to a signal from the control signal output section 615. The lock of the seat 35 can prevent an undesirable movement of the seat, such as, an unstable frontward/rearward movement likely to occur when a user gets on/off the seat 35, or an improper rearward displacement likely to occur when a body weight or force of the user is imposed on the seat 35 in the rearward direction. While such an unstable frontward/rearward movement or improper large rearward displacement is likely to cause rapid stretching of the user's body and impose excessive load on the muscles and joints, the lock of the seat 35 can prevent this problem from occurring. Thus, a user can easily sit on the seat 35 before start of training, and can get off the seat 35 in a stable state after completion of the training. This makes it possible to ensure high reliability.

Further, the handrail 343 is integrally provided in the seat 35, more specifically in the seat support board 34. Thus, when a user sits on the seat 35 or gets off the seat 35, the user can get on/off the seat while gripping the handrail 343, to further facilitate getting-on/off of the seat 35. The handrail 343 is not necessarily integrated with the seat, but may be integrally attached to a body of the training apparatus. Preferably, as in this embodiment, the pair of handrails 343 are fixed to both sides of a movable part of the seat to highly usefully serve additionally as a support of the user's body during training.

[1st Mode]

When the user M selects the first mode and presses the lock release key 5420 after sitting on the seat 35 and placing his/her feet on the foot plate 42, the lock state of the seat 35 based on the sliding motor 381 is released in response to pursing the lock release key 5420, to allow for a movement of the seat 35 along the guide rail 32. Then, in order to change the posture of the foot plate 42 from the horizontal posture T1 to the vertical posture T2, the user M presses an up key 5421. In this operation, the foot plate 42 is rotated toward the vertical posture T2 only during a period where the up key 5421 is actually presses. That is, immediately after the user M stops pressing the up key 5421, the foot plate stops rotating. Thus, the user M can finely adjust a position of the foot plate 42 to set the foot plate 42 an optimal position for himself/herself while allowing the foot plate 42 to be changed to the vertical posture.

Specifically, if the user M is afraid that the foot plate 45 is excessively lifted for him/her, the user M can press a down key 5422 to move the foot plate 42 downwardly, i.e., rotate the foot plate 42 toward the horizontal posture. In this process, the seat 35 is in an unlocked state allowing for the movement along the guide rail 32. Thus, along with the upward rotation of the foot plate 42 on which the user M sits, the legs of the user M are lifted, and thereby the seat 42 will be inevitably displaced rearwardly in response to changes in posture of the user M relative to the seat 35.

Then, after setting the foot plate 42 at an optimal position for the user M by operating the up and down keys, the user M presses the set key 5441 to fix a position (frontward position corresponding to a front position U1 of the seat 34) of the foot plate 42. Then, the user M presses a start key 5423 to start training. When the training is initiated, a frontward load (load acting in the frontward direction of the apparatus) is applied to the seat support board 34 by the displacement mechanism unit 38 (specifically, a certain current is supplied to the sliding motor 381).

Then, the user M presses the feet against foot plate 42 changed from the horizontal position T1 to the vertical position T2, while straining to stretch the legs, to perform an exercise, for example, of displacing the seat 35 against a load from the front position U1 (see FIG. 3B) toward a rear position (farthermost position) U2 (see FIG. 3C). The load to be applied to the seat 35 is rapidly increased in a vicinity of the rear position as the seat 35 is displaced closer to the rear position. The reason for this control is that, if the load is set at a constant value, and the user M rapidly stretches the legs with great force, the seat 35 will be displaced toward the rear position at a high speed, and the user M is likely to get imbalance of the body on the seat.

In this embodiment where the load is increased as described above, even if the user M rapidly stretches the legs with great force, the load is increased as the seat 35 is displaced closer to the rear end, and therefore the speed of the seat 35 can be gradually reduced to maintain a stable displacement of the seat 35 without causing imbalance of the user's body.

In this embodiment, the control of rapidly increasing the load to stop the seat is performed, particularly, in the vicinity of the rear position, so as to make it easy to displace the seat 35 in an initial stage thereof. The reason is that a user hardly exerts his/her strength in the front position where the legs are bent as shown in FIG. 3B, and thereby an increased load in such an initial stage causes difficulty in displacing the seat 35. If there is not such a particular problem, the load may be gradually increased from the front position in FIG. 3B toward the rear position in FIG. 3C, as one alternative.

[2nd Mode]

A second mode is a modification of the first mode, and therefore the following description will be made only for a difference from the first mode. In the second mode, while the locked state of the seat 35 is released by pressing the lock release key 5420 in the same manner as that in the first mode, a weak frontward load is applied to the seat 35 in advance of the lock release, differently from the first mode. In other words, a force urging the seat 35 to move in the frontward direction is applied in conjunction with the lock release. This makes it possible to facilitate setting a training start position, and eliminate the risk that the body of the user M is uncontrollably stretched rapidly in the rearward direction during the positional adjustment of the foot plate 42 to impose excessive load on the muscles and joints.

Specifically, just after the lock release key is pressed, the locked state of the seat 35 is released to allow the seat 35 to be freely displaced in the frontward/rearward direction. Thus, even though the position of the foot plate 42 can be adjusted stepwise by intermittently operating the up key 5421, a body of a user, e.g., an elderly user who has muscle weakness, is likely to be uncontrollably stretched rapidly in the rearward direction in conjunction with only a slight upward movement of the foot plate 42. Moreover, if the user M rapidly stretches the legs regardless of duration of the positional adjustment of the foot plate 42, the user's body will be moved rearwardly. This causes imbalance of the user's body on the seat 35. Further, the user M has to inconveniently bend the knees by muscular power of the legs, to return the seat frontwardly so as to set the seat at an adequate training start position (front position U1). Moreover, such rapid stretching of the user's body is likely to undesirably impose excessive load on the legs and joints.

In order to suppress the above inconvenience or excessive load on the user's body, a given value of load is applied to the seat 35 in a direction opposite to the stretching of the user's body, i.e., in the frontward direction of the apparatus. The given load is set at a relatively low value, because excessively large load causes difficulty in adjusting the position of the seat 35. The load F during the positional adjustment of the seat 35 may be set, for example, at the following value, by referring to body information of the user M (in this embodiment, body weight data):

F=τ×(W+WS)×δ  (Formula 1)

-   -   wherein: τ is a friction coefficient between the seat 35 (slider         33) and the guide rail 32; W is a body weight of a user; WS is a         weight of the movable part of the seat 30; and 6 is a load level         coefficient.

While the friction coefficient τ is varied depending on structure and material, it may be set, for example, in the range of 0.003 to 0.015 (the seat 35 can be displaced more optimally and moderately as the friction coefficient τ is set at a lower value). The load level coefficient δ indicates a level of load to be applied to the seat 35. Specifically, δ=1 means a state just before the seat 35 is displaced (wherein the seat 35 has not been displaced yet).

In this embodiment, the load level coefficient δ is set at 1.05 by way of example. For example, a load F to be applied to the seat 35 in the frontward direction during the positional adjustment of the seat 35 in training performed by an average user may be calculated as follows on the assumption that: τ=0.01; W=60 kg; WS=15 kg; and τ=1.05.

F(kg)=0.01×(60(kg)+15(kg))×1.05=0.7875(kg)≅788(g)

That is, a load of about 800 g can be applied to prevent the above problem. This load is intended to be applied to the seat 35 only in a stage before start of training, and a value of this load is determined without relation to a load to be applied during the training. A level of load to be applied during training is separately determined.

Preferably, the load F is set, but not included in the above Formula 1, in consideration of a plurality of body information of the user M, such as body weight and body height. The reason is that, for example, as to body height, a taller user would exert a larger rearward stretching force. Thus, the load F may be set at a higher value as the body height increases, to finely take measures against the above problem depending on individual users.

User's body information, such as body weight and/or body height, may be input using the numeric keys 544. Further, for example, when this training apparatus is placed in a fitness club which has a management system such that a user ID (personal information) is checked in advance of training, and an information system configured to access user's personal information recorded in a server via a network as needed, the user's personal information may be obtained in response to selecting the 2nd mode. This technique may also be used in the step of inputting user's body information in an after-mentioned 3rd mode.

As described above, the 2nd mode is intended to improve usability for users, particularly, elderly users and users who have muscle weakness. Thus, a description of recommending the use of the 2nd mode or the after-mentioned 3rd mode to elderly users and users who have muscle weakness may be added to an instruction leaflet of the instruction apparatus. Further, in exercise facilities having an instructor, the instructor may select, or may guide a user to select, the 2nd or 3rd mode.

[3rd Mode]

A 3rd mode is also a modification of the first mode and therefore the following description will be made only for a difference from the first mode. The 3rd mode is intended to further improve the easiness in getting-on/off discussed in the 2nd mode and others. Specifically, in the 3rd mode, a displaceable range of the seat 35, i.e., the front position U1 as a training start position, and the rear position U2 as a rear end (rear limit) of the displaceable range of the seat 35, is automatically determined in conformity to body information of the user M by the control unit 60, specifically the initial operation setting section 611 in the CPU 61. Thus, after inputting body information (in this embodiment, body weight, body height, age and sexuality), a user may simply press the lock release key 5420.

In the 3rd mode, before start of training, the seat 35 can be displaced only from the home (frontmost) position (see FIG. 3A) to the front position, i.e., the seat 35 is precluded from being displaced beyond the front position, to avoid the undesirable situation where the body of the user M is uncontrollably stretched rapidly in the rearward direction to receive excessive load. Further, during the training, the rear position U2 is set such that the seat 35 can be displace only within a suitable range for the user to prevent the user from inadvertently performing training imposing excessive load on the user's body. For example, if the rear position for an elderly user is set to allow the seat 35 to be displaced up to a position where legs of the user are fully stretched, such training is likely to impose excessive load on a body of the elderly user. Form this point of view, the displaceable range of the seat 35 is narrowed depending on age and other body information, such as body height, as a parameter.

The 3rd mode is originally intended to improve the easiness in getting-on/off and adequately set training load, as described above. Further, the 3rd mode may also be selected when a normal healthy user wants to commit the setting of a training start position to an automatic control of the apparatus, instead of manually determining the training start position by pushing the start key 5423 as in the 1 st mode.

The above 1st to 3rd modes are configured on the assumption that a user performs training against a load based on user's own physical strength. The training apparatus 10 according to this embodiment further includes a passive mode. In the passive mode means, the apparatus is operable to automatically move the seat in the frontward/rearward direction in a state wherein a user may simply put his/her legs on the foot plate.

Specifically, in the passive mode, the user is passively moved according to guide of the apparatus, without the need to stretch the legs against a load. In particular, this mode is intended for use in rehabilitation, to move hardened or significantly weakened muscles and joints by external force so as to recover their original functions. This passive mode is set by pressing the mode key 5442 and then pressing “0” in the numeric keys 544. A process before pressing the start key 5423 is the same as that in the 3rd mode. An input operation for body information and others may be performed by a care-giver or an instructor of a gym. In a circumstance where body information of a user is pre-recorded in a server, and can be downloaded, the input operation can be omitted.

Following the above description about the functions of each mode, the details of the 1st to 3rd modes including a signal flow in each section will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

Input information from the manual operation section 542 is sent to the initial operation setting section 611, and then displayed on the display device 541 through the control signal output section 615.

In a state after the power switch 543 is turned on, the initial operation setting section 611 is operable to set an initial-stage operation of the training apparatus 10 for a selected one of the modes, based on input information entered by pressing the mode key 5442, the body weight key 5443, the body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality key 5446 (actually, in combination with the numeric keys 544 and the set key 5441). Then, the initial operation setting section 611 is operable to instruct the control signal output section 615 to generate a control signal for allowing the seat 35 and the foot plate 42 to be operated based on the setup initial-stage operation.

The ROM 62 includes an initial operation table storage section 621 storing an initial operation table which is a table of control parameters for operating the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44 in the initial-stage operation of the training apparatus 10 for a selected one of the modes. The initial operation setting section 611 is operable to read information about the initial-stage operation for the selected mode from the mode key 5442, from the table stored in the initial operation table storage section 621, and instruct the control signal output section 615 based on the read information.

Then, the control signal output section 615 is operable, in response to receiving the instruction, to output a control signal corresponding to the selected mode to the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44. Based on the control signal, the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44 are driven to operate the seat 35 and the foot plate 42 so as to achieve a given function of the selected mode as described above.

When the 1st mode is selected, the seat 35 is allowed to be displaced between the home position U0 and the rear position U2 which is a rearmost position (rear limit) in the displaceable range of the seat 35. When the 2nd or 3rd mode is selected, each of the front position U1 and the rear position U2 is set depending on body information, and the seat 35 is allowed to be displaced only within the setup range. That is, when the 2nd or 3rd mode is selected, if the seat 35 is just about being displaced beyond the displaceable range, the sliding motor 381 is operable, based on a control signal from the control signal output section 615, to increase a load so as to inhibit such a displacement.

For this control, in this embodiment, the control signal output section 615 is designed to determine a position of the seat 35 based on an accumulated number of rotations of the sliding motor 381 on the basis of an initial value set when the seat 35 is located at the home position U0. Alternatively, a position sensor may be disposed at an appropriate position of the guide rail 32 to detect the position of the seat 32 based on a detection signal from the position sensor.

After the training apparatus completes the initial-stage operation set by the initial operation setting section 611, the load level setting section 612 is operable to instruct the control signal output section 615 to output a control signal based on body information input from the manual operation section 542, to the sliding motor 381, so as to allow a straining load conforming to the body information of the user M to be imposed on the user M.

For the purpose of setting the straining load, the ROM 62 includes a load table storage section 622 storing a straining load table which is a correlation table between a straining load and body information input from the body weight key 5443, the body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality key 5446.

The load level setting section 612 is operable, based on input body information, to refer to the table stored in the load table storage section 622 so as to set a load level, and instruct the control signal output section 615 to generate a control signal corresponding to the setup load level.

Then, the control signal output section 615 is operable, in response to receiving the instruction, to control a level of power to be supplied to the sliding motor 381 (the control of power level is equivalent to generating a control signal). Thus, based on a driving action of the sliding motor 381, a straining load conforming to the body information will be given to the user M.

At a time when the user M sits on the seat 35, the seat 35 is located at the home position U0 illustrated in FIG. 4A. Then, at a time just after the foot plate 42 sets in the vertical posture T2, the user M bends the knees while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42, and leaning the back against the backrest 36, at the home position U0, or at the front position U1, i.e., training start position, which is displaced rearwardly from the home position U0 as shown in FIG. 3B. Then, when the user M strains to unbend the knees and stretch the legs at the front position U1, the seat 35 is displaced against a load, i.e., a force based on driving torque of the sliding motor 381, rearwardly up to the rear position U2. Then, when the user M bends the knees at the rear position U2, the seat 35 will be returned to the front position U1 by the driving action of the sliding motor 381.

In this manner, when the user M sitting on the seat 35 repeatedly unbends and bends the knees, the user M exerts a force against the load based on the driving action of the sliding motor 381 during unbending of the knees. Thus, bending/stretching exercise with a coordinated action of three joints of the thigh in the lower leg, the knee and the foot is achieve, and exercises for quadriceps muscle, musculus triceps surae and gluteus maximus are performed.

Further, the straining load to be imposed on the user M during bending/stretching exercise can be adequately set depending on a physical capacity based on body information. Thus, not only normal healthy users but also elderly users can effectively utilize the training apparatus 10.

The training time setting section 613 is operable to set a training time period based on the body information input from the manual operation section 542, after the training apparatus 10 performs the given initial-stage operation set by the initial operation setting section 611. The training time determination section 614 is operable, in response to an elapse of the training time period set by training time setting section 613, to instruct the control signal output section 615 to generate and output a given control signal to the lifting motor 44 and the sliding motor 381 so as to automatically shift from the training mode to a stop mode of the training apparatus 10.

For the purpose of setting the training time period, the ROM 62 includes a training time table storage section 623 storing a training time table which is a correlation table between a training time period and body information input from the body weight key 5443, the body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality key 5446. The training time setting section 613 is operable, based on input body information to refer to the table stored in the training time table storage section 623 so as to set a training time period.

Further, the RAM 63 includes a setup time storage section 631 for deleting previous data and updated new data, and a timer 632 adapted to start clocking on the basis of a time when the setup time storage section 631 updates the setup training time period.

The training time determination section 614 is operable to constantly compare an elapsed time clocked by the timer 632 and the setup training time period stored in the setup time storage section 631, and, when the elapsed time reaches the setup training time period, to instruct the control signal output section 615 to output a control signal for shifting the training mode to the stop mode of the training apparatus 10, to the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44. Thus, the foot plate 42 is automatically changed from the vertical posture T2 to the horizontal posture T1, and the seat 35 is automatically moved up to the home position U0, to terminate the series of training operations.

In this manner, the training time period, i.e., duration of training, can be adequately set depending on a physical capacity based on body information. Thus, not only normal healthy users but also elderly users can effectively utilize the training apparatus 10.

In this embodiment, training can be performed based on the straining load and the training time period which are freely generated by pressing the mode key 5442 to select one of the modes, and inputting body information, instead of automatically setting the straining load and the training time period.

In a process of performing training in a so-called “control-free” manner without control according to the control unit 60, after selecting one of the modes, the condition setting key 545 is pressed before the start key 5423 is finally pressed. Then, a given instruction, such as “Enter load level: Low→1, Normal→2, High→3 to 5 (5: Max)”, is indicated on the display device 541. When a user presses one of the numeric keys 544 and then the set key 5441 according to the instruction, a load is set based on this input. When the load is set, a given instruction, such as “Enter training time period from numeric keys by minute” is indicated on the display device 541. When the user presses the numeric key(s) and then the set key 5441 according to the instruction, a training time period is set based on this input. Then, an instruction “Press start key to start training” is indicated on the display device 541. According to this instruction, the user presses the start key 5423 to start training. The training can be terminated by pressing the end key 5424, irrespective of whether the training apparatus 10 is set in an automatic training mode or in a manual training mode. If the end key 5424 is pressed, the seat 35 will be returned to the home position U0, and locked.

With reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, a control flow of the training apparatus 10, particularly a control flow of the 1 st to 3rd modes, will be described below. FIGS. 8 to 10 are flowcharts showing one example of a control process of the training apparatus 10. These flowcharts show a control process of the automatic training mode to be carried out after the mode switch 5442 is presses. This control process starts at a time when the foot plate 42 is set in the horizontal posture T1, and the user M sits on the seat 35 which is set at the home position U0 (see FIG. 3A).

Firstly, when it is determined in Step S1 that the power switch 543 is turned on (YES in Step S1), it is determined whether the mode key 5442 is pressed. If it is determined that the mode switch 5442 is pressed (YES in Step S1), the initial operation setting section 611 will determine whether the numeric key 544 is pressed to select either one of the 1st to 3rd modes, before a given time (hesitation time; in this embodiment, 5 seconds) has elapsed, in Step S3. Specifically, the ROM 62 stores a reference time (5 seconds) of the hesitation time, and the timer 632 is adapted to start measuring an elapsed time from a time just after the mode switch 5442 is pressed. The initial operation setting section 611 is operable to determine whether the elapsed time measured by the timer 632 reaches the hesitation time stored in the ROM 62, so as to make the above determination.

In Step S3, when it is determined that the numeric key 544 is pressed before the elapse of the hesitation time (YES in Step S3), the process advances to Step S4. If it is determined that the numeric key 544 is not pressed (NO in Step S3), it will be automatically determined that the 1st mode is selected, and the process will skip to Step S7.

In Step S4, it is determined whether the mode selected in Step S3 is the 1st mode, i.e., the numeric key pressed before the elapse of the hesitation time after the pressing of the mode key 5442 is “1”. If it is determined that the pressed numeric key 544 is “1”, i.e., the selected mode is the 1st mode (YES in Step S4), the process will advance to Step 7 and subsequent steps.

When it is determined that the selected mode is not the 1 st mode (NO in Step S4), the process advances to Step S5, wherein it is determined whether the selected mode is the 2n mode, i.e., the numeric key pressed after the pressing of the mode key 5442 is “2”. If it is determined that the pressed numeric key 544 is “2”, i.e., the selected mode is the 2nd mode (YES in Step S5), the process will advance to Step 14 and subsequent steps.

If it is determined that the selected mode is not the 2nd mode (NO in Step S5), it will be determined that the pressed numeric key 544 is “3”, i.e., the selected mode is the 3rd mode (YES in Step S6), and then the process will advance to Step 17 and subsequent steps.

When the lock release key 5420 is pushed (YES in Step S7) after the selected mode is determined to be the 1st mode (YES in Step S4), the seat 35 locked at the home position U0 by the sliding motor 381 is released from its lock state in response to a control signal from the control signal output section 615, and allowed to be freely displaced in the frontward/rearward direction (Step S8).

Then, when the up key 5421 is pressed (YES in Step S9), the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved upwardly by a given angle according to a driving action of the lifting motor 44 based on a control signal from the control signal output section 615 (Step S91). Then, if the down key 5422 is pressed (YES in Step S10), the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved, reversely, i.e., downwardly, by a given angle (Step S101). In an operation of successively pressing the up or down key plural times, the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved from a previous position by the given angle every time the up or down key is pressed. According to this rotational movement, the position of the foot plate 42 will be changed. That is, the user M operates the up and down keys to adjust the position of the foot plate 42 at an optimal position for himself/herself.

Then, when the set key 5441 is pressed (YES in Step S102), the position of the foot plate 42 is fixed. If the set key 5411 is not pressed (NO in Step S102), a state which enables the input from the up key 5447 and the down key 5422, i.e., the positional adjustment of the foot plate 42, will is maintained.

Then, the start key 5423 is pressed (YES in Step S11) after the set key 5441 is pressed, and training is started.

When the training is started, a predetermined standard value of power is supplied to the sliding motor 381, and thereby the sliding motor 381 is driven to move the seat 35 in the frontward direction so as to apply a given straining load to the seat 35 (Step S12). In this embodiment, the straining load in Step S12 is set at a standard level. Alternatively, the training apparatus may be designed to set a level or a specific value of the load according to operation of the manual operation section 542. In this state, the user M strains to unbend his/her knees against the load from the sliding motor 381. Then, when the user M releases the straining after the seat 35 reaches the rear position U2, the seat 35 is pushed back in the frontward direction. The user M will repeat this movement to perform the training of reciprocally displacing the seat 35.

Then, when the end key 5424 is pressed by the user M (YES in Step S13), the seat 35 is returned to the home position U0 and locked (Step 26).

Subsequently, it is determined in Step S27 whether the power switch 543 is turned off. If the power switch 543 is not turned off (NO in Step S27), the process will skip to Step S2 to offer the above operations for another user M. When the power switch 543 is turned off (YES in Step S27), the control process is terminated.

Returning to Step S5, when it is determined that the selected mode is the 2nd mode (YES in Step S5), body weight information is input by pressing the body weight key 5443 and the numeric keys 544 (YES in Step S14). Then, the set key 5441 is pressed to set the body weight information (Step S141). Thus, a load conforming to the body weight of the user M is applied to the seat 35 in the forward direction (Step S15).

In this embodiment, the 2nd mode is configured such that a level of the load to be applied to the seat 35 is set based on body weight data in body information. Preferably, body height data may be additionally referred to. The reason is that a taller user would exert a larger rearward stretching force. Thus, the load to be applied in the frontward direction may be set at a higher level or larger value as the body height increases, so as to be finely adjusted depending on individual users.

Returning to the flowchart, it is then determined whether the lock release key 5420 is pressed (Step S16).

If the lock release key 5420 is pressed (YES in Step S16), the process will skip to Step 8, and the same processing as that in the 1 st step will be performed.

Returning to Step S6, when it is determined that the selected mode is the 3rd mode (YES in Step S6), positions of the seat 35 are automatically set in conformity to the body information of the user M, differently from the 1st and 2nd modes. That is, the 3rd mode is configured to automatically move the seat 35 from the initial home (frontmost) position U0 to a front position U1 set in conformity to the body information of the user M, according to a driving action of the sliding motor 381, and to allow the user M to perform training between the front position U1 and a rear position U2 set in conformity to the body information of the user M. This feature of the 3rd mode will be more specifically described based on the flowcharts.

When the 3rd mode is selected (YES in Step S6), it is determined in Step S17 whether body information is input. Actually, the user M sitting on the seat 35 inputs his/her body information from the manual operation unit 542. Then, when the set key 5441 is pressed after input of the body information, the input body information is set up. Thus, each of the front position U1 and rear position U2 is set in conformity to the body information (Step S18).

Then, in Step S19, it is determined whether the lock release key 5420 is pressed. When it is determined that the lock release key 5420 is pressed (YES in Step S19), the lock state of the seat 35 based on the sliding motor 381 is released (Step S20).

Then, when the up key 5447 is pressed (Step S21), the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved upward by a given angle according to a driving action of the lifting motor 44 based on a control signal from the control signal output section 615 (Step S211). Then, if the down key 5422 is pressed (Step S22), the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved, reversely, i.e., downwardly, by a given angle (Step S221). In an operation of successively pressing the up or down key plural times, the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved from a previous position by the given angle every time the up or down key is pressed. According to this rotational movement, the position of the foot plate 42 will be changed. That is, the user M operates the up and down keys to adjust the position of the foot plate 42 at an optimal position for himself/herself.

Then, when the set key 5441 is pressed (YES in Step S222), the position of the foot plate 42 is fixed. If the set key 5411 is not pressed (NO in Step S222), a state which enables the input from the up key 5447 and the down key 5422, i.e., the positional adjustment of the foot plate 42, will is maintained.

Then, after the set key 544 is pressed, in the 3rd mode, the seat 35 is automatically moved from the home position U0 to the front position U2, i.e., a training start position, which is set based on the input body information (Step S23). Then, the start key 5423 is pushed to start training (YES in Step S24). As in the 3rd mode, the rear position can be variably set depending on body information of a user which is manually or automatically input. That is, the rear position is not limited to a mechanically fixed position which is set as a rearmost end of a displaceable range of the seat 35.

Then, in Step S25, it is determined whether a training time period pre-set based on the body information of the user M has elapsed. When the training time period has elapsed (YES in Step S25), the seat 35 is returned to the home position U0, and then locked by the sliding motor 381 (Step S26). Then, it is determined whether the power switch 543 is turned off (Step S27).

As mentioned above in detail, in the training apparatus 10 according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the seat unit 30 including the seat 35 which allows a user M to sit thereon, the foot plate 42 adapted to allow the user M sitting on the seat 35 to keep his/her feet bottoms in contact therewith, and the displacement mechanism unit 38 adapted to apply to the user M a load against a straining force generated when the user M sitting on the seat 35 while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 strains his/her legs, are mounted on the base board 20. The foot plate 42 is adapted to be changed in posture between the horizontal posture T1 where it protrudes approximately horizontally and outwardly from the pair of footrest frames 41 mounted on the base board 20, and the vertical posture T2 where it protrudes approximately vertically and upward from the footrest frames 41 at approximately the same height level as a that of the seat 35.

In the training apparatus 10, when the user M sits on the seat 35 disposed on the base board 20 and strains the legs while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2, a load against the straining force is loaded on the user M. Thus, the user M can repeat the straining movement to perform exercise of the legs and lumbar.

Further, the foot plate 42 is adapted to be changed in posture between the horizontal posture T1 where it protrudes approximately horizontally and outwardly from a lower position equivalent to that of the base board 20, and the vertical posture T2 where it protrudes approximately vertically and upward from an upper position relative to the base board 20 and at approximately the same height level as a that of the seat 35. Thus, when the user M gets on the seat 35, the foot plate 42 can be set in the horizontal posture T1 to create an obstacle-free space in front of the seat 35. This allows not only a normal healthy user but also an elderly user to significantly readily sit on the seat 35 directly or using the foot plate 42 as a step ladder. In addition, the obstacle-free space created in front of the seat 35 makes it possible to roll a wheelchair alongside the front of the seat 35. Thus, even a user M who usually uses wheelchair can move from the wheelchair to the seat 35 without worrying about falling or dropping. When a care-giver escorts the user M who uses a wheelchair, the burden of the care-giver will be significantly reduced.

Then, after the user M sits on the seat 35 when the foot plate 42 is set in the horizontal posture T1, the posture of the foot plate 42 can be changed to the vertical posture T2 to allow the user M to have an exercise starting posture where the knees of the user M are bent.

The training apparatus 10 includes the posture change mechanism 43 adapted to change the posture of the foot plate 42 between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture T2. The posture change mechanism 43 includes the plate support arms 423 adapted to be rotated about the support shafts 424 and support the foot plate 42 in such a manner as to allow the posture of the foot plate 42 to be changed, and the driving-force transfer mechanism 45 adapted to rotate the plate support arms 423 about the support shafts 424.

Thus, the foot plate 42 can be readily changed in posture between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture T2 according a driving action of the posture change mechanism 43. Further, the posture change mechanism 43 includes the plate support arms 423 adapted to be rotated about the support shafts 424 provided on the base board 20 to change the posture of the foot plate 42 and the driving-force transfer mechanism 45 adapted to rotate the plate support arms 423 about the support shafts 424. Thus, the posture of the foot plate 42 can be changed by a simple operation of reciprocally rotating the plate support arms 423 according to the driving action of the posture change mechanism 45. This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the posture change mechanism 43 so as to contribute to reduction in production cost, while ensuring a reliable operation of changing the posture of the foot plate 42.

The seat 35 can be moved to the front position U1 close to the foot plate 42 by a pushing force of the sliding motor 381 serving as the load-applying device, and displaced the rear position U2 apart from the foot plate 42, when the user M sitting on the seat 35 strains to stretch the legs against the pushing force of the sliding motor 381. That is, when the user M sitting on the seat 35 strains to stretch the legs while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42, the seat 35 is displaced against the pressing force according to a driving action of the sliding motor 381 in such a manner as to be spaced apart from the foot plate 42, and finally set to the rear position U2. Then, when the user M releases the straining of the legs, the seat 35 is moved to the front position U1 close to the foot plate 42 by the pushing force of the sliding motor 381. In this manner, the user M can repeat the straining movement of the legs to perform exercise of the legs and lumbar.

The backrest 30 is provided on the rear side of the seat 35. Thus, the backrest 30 makes it possible to allow the user M sitting on the seat 35 to more strongly strain to stretch the legs while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42, so as to achieve enhanced exercise effect of the legs and lumbar. Further, the backrest 36 is designed to change a reclining angle thereof. Thus, the reclining angle of the bracket 36 can be changed in response to requests from the user M.

This training apparatus 10 includes the control unit 60 adapted to control the pushing force of the sliding motor 381, and the manual operation section 542 adapted to allow body information of the user M to be input therefrom. The control unit 60 is operable to set the pushing force based on body information of the user M input from the manual operation section 542, and control the sliding motor in such a manner as to push the seat 35 by a force suitable for a physical ability of the user M. Thus, the user M can perform training moderately and adequately.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the following modifications may be made therein.

(1) The training apparatus according to the above embodiment is designed such that the seat 35 is displaced in the frontward/rearward direction against the straining load generated according to a driving action of the sliding motor 381, when the user M sitting on the seat 35 while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2 strains to stretch the legs. The present invention is not limited to the above structure based on the displacement of the seat 35, but may be designed to have a given slide mechanism adapted to allow the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2 to be slidingly displaced in the frontward/rearward direction (in this case, a load from the load-applying device may be applied to the foot plate 42), or may be designed such that both the seat 35 and the foot plate 42 are displaced close to and apart from each other.

(2) While the training apparatus according to the above embodiment is designed such that, the backrest 36 is disposed on the rear side of the seat 35 to allow the user M to perform bending/stretching exercise of legs while leaning the back against the backrest 36, it is not essential to provide the backrest 36, but the training apparatus may be designed to allow the user M to perform bending/stretching exercise of legs while simply sitting on the seat 35.

(3) In the above embodiment, the sliding motor 381 serving as an electrical load generator is used for providing a driving force of the load-applying device to push the user M toward the foot plate 42. The present invention is not limited to the use of a driving force of the sliding motor 381 as the pushing force against the user M, but any suitable type of biasing means, such as a coil spring or a plate spring, or any suitable cylinder device adapted to hydraulically or pneumatically press a piston to generate the pushing force, may be used. Further, while the driving-force transfer mechanism (rotation mechanism) 45 is used as a lifting mechanism for the foot plate 42, an actuator adapted to be hydraulically or pneumatically driven may be used.

(4) In the above embodiment, a faster belt may be attached to the foot plate 42, to allow the feet of the user M placed on the foot plate to be fastened to the foot plate. This makes it possible to impose a load even when the user M bends the knees, to increase the type of exercise.

(5) In the above embodiment, when the 3rd mode is selected as one training mode of the training apparatus 10, a load suitable for a physical ability of the user M is set based on input body information of the user M, and imposed on the user M. However, it is assumed that some users M are not satisfied with such a load. In order to cope with this need, various techniques may be employed. For example, an increment key for increasing load and a decrement key for reducing load may be provided in the manual operation section 542 to increase or reduce a level of the load by a pressing operation of the increment and decrement keys.

(6) While the panel board 54 in the above embodiment 54 comprises the display device composed of a LCD and the manual operation section 542 having various types of operation keys, a touch panel may be used as the operation panel and the functions of the input/output device 52 may be concentrated in the touch panel. This makes it possible to display instructions and guidance for mode selection, input procedure and others in a time-series manner so as to provide an input/output device having enhanced usability for the user M.

(7) The training apparatus according to the above embodiment is designed to move the foot plate 42 from the step-on/off position to the frontward position, based on the operation of the manual operation section 542. Alternatively, the training apparatus may be designed to automatically move the foot plate 42 without the manual operation section 542, while clearly informing the user M of the timing of moving the foot plate 42. For example, after a given elapsed time, e.g., 3 seconds, from a detection of sitting of a user using an optical sensor or a weight sensor, a given message to the effect that the rock state of the seat will be released and the foot plate will be lifted may be informed. In this case, the height level of the foot plate 42 and the front and rear positions of the seat 35 may be automatically set by connecting the apparatus to a server storing user's personal information and acquiring body information of the user from the database.

In sum, a training apparatus, as described in the above, comprises a seat arranged at a given height position; a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance; a displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other; a load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween; and a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said foot plate between an inactive posture where said foot plate is in a posture such that a user's feet can be placed thereupon from the above and an active posture where the foot plate is in an upright posture so that a user can initiate an exercise with this training apparatus.

In the above training apparatus of the present invention, the foot plate can be changed between the active posture relative to the seat, and the inactive posture where the foot plate is disposed substantially at a lower extremity below the frontward position of the seat. Specifically, before a user sits on the seat, the foot plate is set in the inactive posture at the lower extremity by the displacement mechanism. Thus, when the user moves toward the seat, an obstacle-free space is created in front of the seat to allow the user to significantly easily sit on the seat using the foot plate as a step ladder simply by the same movement as that for sitting on a commonly-used chair. This allows not only a normal healthy user but also an elderly user to sit on the seat in a significantly easy manner. In addition, an obstacle-free space created in front of the seat during sitting allows a user using a wheelchair to roll the wheelchair close to the front of the training apparatus and then readily move from the wheelchair directly to the seat. When a care-giver escorts the user, the burden of the care-giver will be significantly reduced.

In the second aspect of the invention, the training apparatus may include an operation unit adapted to be externally operated, and a control unit adapted to control the load-applying device and the posture change mechanism, wherein the posture change mechanism is operable, in response to a signal generated from the control unit based on the operation of the operation unit, to change the foot plate between the inactive position and the active position.

In this training apparatus, a user sitting on the seat can operate the operation unit to change the foot plate between the inactive posture (user's getting on & off posture) and the active posture (an exercise enabling posture) according to a driving action of the posture change mechanism. Thus, before a user sitting on the seat starts training, the user operates the operation unit to move the foot plate from the inactive position to the active position. Then, after completion of the training, the user operates the operation unit to move the foot plate from the active position to the inactive position, so that the user can readily get off the seat.

In the 3^(rd) aspect of the invention, the posture change mechanism may include an arm supporting the foot plate with respect to the seat, and a rotation mechanism which rotates the arm by about 90 degrees so as to change the foot plate between the inactive posture and the active posture.

In this training apparatus, the posture of the foot plate is changed between the horizontal posture (inactive posture) and the vertical posture (active posture) at the frontward position, according to a driving action of the posture change mechanism which includes the arm supporting the foot plate, and the rotation mechanism adapted to rotate the arm by about 90 degrees. Thus, the posture of the foot plate can be changed by a simple operation of reciprocally rotating according to the driving action of the posture change mechanism. This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the posture change mechanism so as to contribute to reduction in production cost, while ensuring a reliable operation of changing the posture of the foot plate.

In the 4^(th) aspect, the displacement mechanism is operable to allow the seat to be displaced in a frontward/rearward direction of the apparatus.

In this training apparatus, the seat is displaced relative to the foot plate in the frontward/rearward direction. Thus, a user can perform bending/stretching of the legs and lumber while fixing the position of the foot plate.

In the 5^(th) aspect, the load-applying device is operable to apply the load against a rearward displacement of the seat.

In this training apparatus, when a user sitting on the seat strains to stretch or unbend his/her legs while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate set in the vertical posture, the seat is displaced in the rearward direction against the load of the load-applying device. Then, when the straining force is released, i.e., the user bends the legs, the seat is returned to its original front position by a pushing force of the load-applying device. In this manner, the straining and unstraining (i.e., release of straining) will be repeated to perform training or exercise of the legs and lumber.

In the 6^(th) aspect, the load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable to immovably lock the seat at a frontmost position thereof until the foot plate starts being moved from the inactive position in response to a signal generated from the control unit based on the operation of the operation unit and to release the locked state when the foot plate is moved in response to a signal generated from the control unit based on the operation of the operation unit.

In this training apparatus, until the foot plate starts being moved based on the operation of the operation unit, the seat can be locked in the immovable state to prevent an undesirable movement of the seat, such as, an unstable frontward/rearward movement likely to occur when a user gets on/off the seat, or an improper rearward displacement likely to occur when a body weight or force of the user is imposed on the seat in the rearward direction. While such an unstable frontward/rearward movement or improper large rearward displacement is likely to cause rapid stretching of the user's body and impose excessive load on the muscles and joints, this training apparatus can prevent this problem from occurring. Thus, a user can sit on the seat as usual before start of training. This makes it possible to ensure high reliability.

A handrail may be integrally attached to the seat to allow a user to sit on the seat while gripping the handrail. Thus, even an elderly user can sit on the seat without difficulty. The handrail is not necessarily integrated with the seat, but may be integrally attached to a body of the training apparatus. Preferably, a pair of handrails are fixed to both sides of a movable part of the seat to highly usefully serve additionally as a support of the user's body during training.

In the 7^(th) aspect, the load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable, just after the foot plate starts being moved from the inactive position toward the active position in response to a signal from the control unit, to start applying the load in such a manner that the seat is biased in a frontward direction of the apparatus.

This training apparatus can avoid an undesirable situation where the seat after a user sits thereon is rapidly displaced in the rearward direction due to a posture of the user or other factor to cause rapid stretching of the user's body, particularly legs, which leads to imbalance of the user's body, inconvenience due to the need to return the seat frontwardly, and improper load imposed on the muscles and joints. Specifically, when the foot plate starts being moved the inactive position toward the active position, the user's legs will be lifted while being gradually bent, and thereby the upper body (above the hip) of the user sitting on the seat will be pushed by the legs being bent, to inevitably cause a rearward displacement of the seat. In case of an elderly user who has muscle weakness, the legs are likely to be fully stretched during the above process to result in imbalance of the user's body. Further, if the legs are fully stretched, the user has to inconveniently bend the knees by muscular power of the legs, to return the seat frontwardly so as to set the seat at an adequate training start position (i.e., after-mentioned front position). Moreover, this is likely to impose excessive load on the muscles of the legs and lower abdomen. In this respect, this training apparatus is designed such that, in an initial stage of the movement of the foot plate, where the user's body is likely to is fully stretched, a relatively light load is applied to the seat in a direction opposite to the rearward displacement of the seat, i.e., in a frontward direction of the apparatus. This makes it possible to suppress the rapid stretching of the user's body as described above. Thus, this training apparatus can offer enhanced usability, particularly, for elderly users

In the 8^(th) aspect, the load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable, in response to a signal from the control unit, to increase the load in a vicinity of a rear end of a displaceable range of the seat in such a manner that it becomes larger as the seat is displaced closer to the rear end.

In this training apparatus, even if a user rapidly stretches his/her legs with great force during training, a speed of the seat is reduced down in the rear end region of the displaceable range. Specifically, the load in the opposite direction (frontward direction of the apparatus) becomes larger as the seat is displaced closer to the rear end. Thus, even if the seat is displaced close to the rear end at a high speed, the speed can be gradually reduced to maintain a moderate displacement of the seat and an adequate balance of the user's body on the seat.

In the present invention, the “displaceable range” of the seat includes a displaceable range to be mechanically determined, and a displaceable range determined with reference to body information of a user by the control unit, such as an after-mentioned 3rd mode. The latter is intended to set a displaceable range which is assumed to be suitable for each user, in view of bodily features of the user. For example, a displaceable range for a user who has a relatively low body height is set to be narrower than that for a user has a relatively high body height. Thus, in the present invention, the “rear end” of the displaceable range of the seat is not limited to a rear end of the displaceable range to be mechanically determined, but a rear end of the displaceable range to be determined by the control unit is also included therein.

In the 9^(th) aspect, the operation unit is adapted to allow body information of a user to be input therefrom, and the control unit is operable, based on the body information input from the operation unit, to set at least either one of a level of the load to be applied from the load-applying device, and a displaceable range of the seat.

In this training apparatus, under control of the control unit, a load (pushing force) corresponding to a body's ability of a user is set based on body information of the user input from the operation unit, and the load-applying device pushes the seat by the pushing force. This makes it possible to perform a moderate and adequate exercise. Further, a displaceable range of the seat suitable for the user is set based on the body information to allow the user to perform the exercise without imposing excessive load on the body.

In the present invention, a technical concept of the term “operation unit” is not limited to an input device attached to the apparatus, but a receiving section adapted to receive information from a database connected thereto via a network is also included therein

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application Serials No. 2006-032776, filed with Japan Patent Office on Feb. 9, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention hereinafter defined, they should be construed as being included therein. 

1. A training apparatus comprising: a seat arranged at a given height position; a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance; a displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other; a load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween; and a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said foot plate between an inactive posture where said foot plate is in a posture such that a user's feet can be placed thereupon from the above and an active posture where the foot plate is in an upright posture so that a user can initiate an exercise with this training apparatus.
 2. The training apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation unit which is externally operated; and a control unit for controlling said load-applying device and said posture change mechanism, wherein said posture change mechanism is operable, in response to a signal generated from said control unit based on the operation of said operation unit, to change said foot plate from said inactive posture to said active posture.
 3. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said posture change mechanism includes: an arm supporting said foot plate with respect to said seat; and a rotation mechanism which rotates said arm by about 90 degrees so as to change said foot plate between said inactive posture and said active posture.
 4. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displacement mechanism is operable to allow said seat to be displaced in a frontward/rearward direction of said apparatus.
 5. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said load-applying device is operable to apply the load against a rearward displacement of said seat.
 6. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable to immovably lock said seat at a frontmost position thereof until said foot plate starts being moved from said inactive posture in response to a signal generated from said control unit based on the operation of said operation unit and to release said locked state when said foot plate is moved in response to a signal generated from said control unit based on the operation of said operation unit.
 7. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable, just after said foot plate starts being moved from said inactive position toward said active position in response to a signal from said control unit, to start applying the load in such a manner that said seat is biased in a frontward direction of said apparatus.
 8. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is operable, in response to a signal from said control unit, to increase the load in a vicinity of a rear end of a displaceable range of said seat in such a manner that it becomes larger as said seat is displaced closer to said rear end.
 9. The training apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said operation unit is adapted to allow body information of a user to be input therefrom; and said control unit is operable, based on the body information input from said operation unit, to set at least either one of a level of the load to be applied from said load-applying device and a displaceable range of said seat.
 10. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said foot plate is oriented in a horizontal posture when in said inactive posture so that the user can step on said foot plate while the user sits on said seat in an ordinary sitting manner and said foot plate is oriented in a vertical posture when in said active posture so that the user's feet can abut against the foot plate in a horizontal direction.
 11. A training apparatus comprising: a seat arranged at a given height position; a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance; a displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other; a load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween; and a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said foot plate between a horizontal posture at a lowermost position with respect to the seat so that a user's feet can be placed thereupon while the user is in an ordinary sitting posture and a vertical posture at a frontal end position with respect to the seat so that a user's feet can abut against said foot plate in a horizontal direction.
 12. The training apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said foot plate is rotatably supported at the frontal end of the seat by an arm and said arm is in about a vertical position when said foot plate is in the horizontal posture and said arm is in about a horizontal position when said foot plate is in the vertical posture. 